A British eyewear designer favoured by celebrities including Robert Downey Jr has revealed plans to launch a chain of pop-up shops after seeing sales boom amid the trend to look good on Zoom calls in the pandemic. Kirk & Kirk – founded by husband and wife duo Jason and Karen Kirk 30 years ago – said it is aiming to make its first “foray into retail” this autumn.
The move will see it enter the UK retail market directly, building on its current tie-up with 100 independent optical retailers in Britain and more than a further 300 around the world. Mr Kirk told the PA news agency: “We’re opening our first pop-up store, our first foray into retail, in September, in Shoreditch.
“Our plan is to be nimble and grow pop-up stores. We then expect to open half a dozen stores next spring in different locations across the UK and then from that will identify opportunities abroad.” The group is looking to hire more staff to oversee the pop-up shops in the UK, while it is also set to expand its team of independent representatives worldwide to 25.
